Similar to other software developers, Autodesk keeps track of the Autodesk 3ds Max system requirements, which you can use to make sure your computer's hardware is compatible with their software. But most "system requirements" lists simply address the minimum amount of hardware needed to run the software, not what will truly perform at its peak. In addition, these lists occasionally include substandard hardware on them, are out of date, or display obsolete hardware versions.

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However, many types of rendering engines—like Arnold, which is included with newer versions of 3Ds Max, as well as Mental Ray, V-Ray, Keyshot, and others—are highly efficient at utilizing a high number of cores. In fact, most of these engines scale almost perfectly, which makes a CPU with twice the number of cores almost twice as fast. We offer other configurations with that type of CPU for those who focus more on that type of workload.

The majority of design tasks in 3Ds Max (including creating, modifying, and animating 3D models) are only able to utilize a single CPU core. That makes a high-frequency CPU, regardless of the core count, an ideal choice for these tasks. Our 3D Max Design & Animation workstation focuses on this type of workload.

Intel Core i7 13700K (16 Core) and Core i9 13900K (24 Core) or newer generations of these CPUs top the charts for 3DS Max single-core performance and are among the CPUs with the fastest clock speeds available. The i9 offers a few more "efficient" cores and a marginally faster clock speed than the i7. You may also check out AMD's next-generation models of Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 if you wish to switch to their platform.

While the exact quantity of RAM you require can vary depending on your specific projects, we usually advise at least 16GB for 3DS Max. Although it is uncommon for 3DS Max to require more RAM than 32GB, extremely complicated situations may require up to 32GB.

However, you could require 64GB or even more RAM if you plan to perform a lot of difficult, high-resolution CPU rendering.

The video card plays a major role in determining how many frames per second (FPS) the viewport in 3Ds Max can display a model at while it is being created, edited, and animated. It will be smoother and more enjoyable to rotate, zoom, or pan around the model you are working on if the frame rate is higher. Generally speaking, 60 frames per second is the optimal framerate, while 30 is the minimum that may be allowed.

Both NVIDIA's professional and GeForce cards are now included as supported GPUs by Autodesk in their lists of compatible graphics cards for 3ds Max. They do, however, distinguish between the two by referring to the pro-grade (formerly Quadro) cards as "Certified" and the GeForce as just "Tested."

Primary Drive: OS/Software (SSD/NVMe)—includes your operating system and the base Autodesk 3ds Max installation. An SSD is highly recommended as it will greatly improve how fast the OS and programs startup, but you can also upgrade to a faster NVMe drive for a small performance benefit. The recommended storage for installation of software is not more than 15 GB.

Since the primary drive will primarily be used to store Windows and software, including all software (except large Game), it doesn't need to be that large for the majority of users; a 500GB SSD will be enough for Drive C.

Secondary Drive: Project Files (Platter/SSD/NVMe) Having a second storage (either SSD or HHD) for storing assets and effects is a wonderful alternative if you have additional money to spend or keep a lot of them around for use on different projects. Of course, an internal or external hard drive is a more cost-effective option than a high-capacity SSD if you need more mass storage and preservation.